the joy-ride and after

The Joy-Ride and After by A. L. Barker (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1963)

This novella (the title novella in this book of several) by a British writer was published  by Charles Scribner’s Sons in the US, and The Hogarth Press in the UK, in 1963.  I had never head of A. L. Barker (a woman) . Apparently, she  published quite prolifically throughout the second half of the 20th Century and was highly regarded in literary circles but never had much commercial success.

I found her writing in The Joy Ride to be bracing and vivid, and beautifully controlled and regulated.  Very calm and assured.  Clean, but not antiseptic.  This story, which is set in a provincial mid-century English city, revolves around a struggling automobile garage and the cafe across the street: both cheerless places, as are the people who work at, or visit, them.  Barker creates engaging and complex characters who are all struggling — some compassionately, some ruthlessly — for a better life.  I liked and admired this book, and look forward to reading more A. L. Barker.